On a sunny spring afternoon in 1989, a crush developed at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield resulting in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans attending the club's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

It remains the UK's worst sporting disaster and since then, many families and survivors have led a long campaign to discover how and why they died. Here are some of the key events:

• 15 April 1989: A severe crush develops in the crowd at Hillsborough and the game is halted 15:06 as people are pulled out of the pens in a "human cascade" - 97 men, women and children died as a result with hundreds more injured
• April 1989: Ch Supt David Duckenfield tells key people that a gate was "forced" by Liverpool fans, a claim reinforced in briefings to media sources. The lie goes around the world, in TV and radio news bulletins. Newspapers also make baseless claims about the conduct of fans
• January 1990: A judicial inquiry is held into the tragedy and Lord Justice Taylor concludes the failure to close off the tunnel which led into the pens was "a blunder of the first magnitude" and Ch Supt Duckenfield, the match commander, "failed to take effective control"
• March 1991: Coroner Dr Stefan Popper rules out any evidence relating to fans' deaths beyond 15:15 at the original inquests into the deaths because, by this time, he said "the damage was done". This is "strongly disputed" by bereaved families
• December 1996: Hillsborough, a controversial drama-documentary by acclaimed Liverpool writer Jimmy McGovern, reveals new evidence claiming some of the 96 were still alive after 15:15
• February 2000: The Hillsborough Families Support Group bring a private prosecution for manslaughter and misconduct against the now-medically retired Mr Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray. The jury acquits Mr Murray and fail to reach a verdict on Mr Duckenfield

Image source, PA Media

• April 2009: After facing criticsm at the 20th Hillsborough memorial event at Anfield, then Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, who is now mayor of Greater Manchester, joins calls for any information held by public bodies on Hillsborough to be made released and a 140,000-signature petition forces a Commons debate
• September 2012: After sitting for two years, the Hillsborough Independent Panel publishes a damning report, which is highly critical of the emergency response by a number of organisations and blames senior officers for opening exit gates without thinking about what would happen
• December 2012: The High Court quashes the original inquest verdicts that had stood for more than 20 years. Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge also orders new inquests after the panel's report said 41 of those who died might have been saved
• March 2014: The new Hillsborough inquests open in Warrington and last for two years - the longest inquests in UK legal history
• April 2016: Hillsborough Inquests conclude the 96 who died in the 1989 disaster were unlawfully killed
• November 2019: After a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court, David Duckenfield is found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans
• July 2021: Andrew Devine, who suffered life-changing injuries in the crush, dies at the age of 55. A coroner rules later that month that he had been unlawfully killed

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram has said the Hillsborough families faced an "intolerable wait" for the government to respond to Bishjop James Jones recommendations.

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Mr Rotheram, who attended the 1989 FA Cup semi-final as a fan, said: "For six years Bishop James's report has been languishing on the desk of consecutive home secretaries without the dignity of a response.

"The law has failed the Hillsborough families and countless other groups affected by tragedy.

"While today's belated response is a move in the right direction, it does not clear the threshold that Hillsborough Law campaigners have been asking for."

The government has signed a Hillsborough Charter, but has stopped short of introducing a Hillsborough Law called for by campaigners in its response to a report into the experiences of the bereaved families.

Image source, Reuters

In its response to the Right Rev James Jones's report, the government said the charter pledged to place the public interest above its own reputation, but said a “Hillsborough Law” incorporating a legal duty of candour was not necessary.

It said the government was “not aware” of any gaps in legislation or clarifications needed that would further encourage a culture of candour among public servants in law.

It is understood the government believes that adopting the duty of candour would risk “creating conflict and confusion” because of the framework of duties and obligations already developed since the disaster.

Bishop James Jones, who made the 2017 report, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government's announcement would be another "milestone" for the families.

He said: "One of the things that I've said is that grief is a journey without destination.

"There are milestones along the way and, of course, the Hillsborough Panel report and the inquest and unlawful killing [ruling] were very significant milestones for the families, and today will also be such a milestone for them."

One of the concerns raised by Bishop Jones in his report was that families should always have access to legal representation at inquests.

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The government said it would initiate a consultation to expand legal aid for bereaved families in the aftermath of a public disaster, where an Independent Public Advocate is engaged, or a terrorist incident.

The government has committed to employ a permanent Independent Public Advocate, external.

The person in the role would "help victims and families navigate the justice system in the wake of a public disaster, ensure that they know their rights, and that their needs are supported".

The Public Advocate would be deployed immediately in the aftermath of any crisis, it added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has addressed the Hillsborough families directly after they waited six years for a government response to the report.

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“The Hillsborough families have suffered multiple injustices and more than thirty-four years later, there can never be too many apologies for what they have been through," he said.

"And I want to repeat that apology today, and thank the Hillsborough families for their tenacity, patience and courage."

He said the government would set out improvements for supporting the bereaved in the aftermath of any future public disasters.

Mr Sunak said the response also detailed how it expected public bodies to act, "which is with honesty, transparency and candour".

Judith Moritz
North of England Correspondent

The time it’s taken for the government to respond to the Bishop’s report has become as much a feature of the exercise, as the content of the response.

Theresa May was still Home Secretary when she commissioned it back in 2016, and six years - and seven Home Secretaries - have gone by since it was published.

The government knew it couldn’t avoid confronting this, and it’s striking that it’s accepted that the delay has compounded the Hillsborough families’ agony.

Given that the very purpose of the Bishop’s report was to prevent further suffering, it might be seen as something of an own goal.

Campaigners for a Hillsborough Law will doubtless say that the government response falls short of the legislation they’ve envisaged.

They’ve pushed for a full "duty of candour" on all public servants - meaning that they’d be forced to be frank about their failings, when appearing at inquests and inquiries.

The government says that the police will be held to account on this front, via different legislation.

But some Hillsborough families have told me they want to see that duty extended to everyone who works in the public sector.

• The government has signed a Hillsborough Charter which, broadly speaking, promises no families will have to suffer the same injustices as those of the relatives of the disaster's victims

• It has promised to implement a "duty of candour" for policing in England and Wales, which aims to promote a culture of openness, honesty and transparency during investigations and public inquiries
• A consultation will also be launched to improve legal aid for bereaved families in the aftermath of terrorist incidents or public disasters

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The government has published its long-awaited response to a report by the former Bishop of Liverpool into the experiences of the Hillsborough families.

Ninety-seven Liverpool football fans died following a stadium crush during an FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground on 15 April 1989.

The families went on to endure decades of inquiries as they fought for justice for the victims. Inquests in 2016 concluded the fans had been unlawfully killed and errors by the police and ambulance service caused or contributed to their deaths.

Bishop Jones' review, released in 2017, external, included 25 points of learning, to ensure "the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated".

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The government has now signed a Hillsborough Charter, promising no family will suffer the same injustices in the future.

It has pledged to "learn the lessons and make sure no family suffers the same injustices".

A "duty of candour" for policing will also be introduced, which the government hopes will "hold policing to the highest standards".

These measures build on existing requirements for officers to cooperate with official investigations and inquiries.